Brazilian Restaurants in Austin, Texas

Few American cities are as diverse as Austin, Texas. After exploring Mount Bonnell or jogging along beautiful Ladybird Lake, a stunning variety of local cuisine creates the happy chore of choosing a restaurant. Diversity makes Brazilian restaurants at home in Austin since traditional menus incorporate multi-ethnic cooking traditions, including African, Middle Eastern, Portuguese as well as the indigenous peoples of South America. Beef cooked in the gaucho style is common, also called churrascaria. This style is a type of Southern Brazilian barbecue in which meat varieties are skewered and cooked over an open fire. Familiar and exotic vegetables, tropical fruits and native cocktails adorn the Brazilian restaurant selection.

Estância Churrascaria

This high-end steakhouse next to the Holiday Inn in south Austin offers a variety of meats complimented by a 20-item salad bar of fresh vegetables and homemade cheese bread. Vegetarian meal modifications are available. And don't worry about going casual because according to the Austin Chronicle, you will find a relaxed atmosphere and "the only Brazilian wine list in town." One flat rate ($35.90 as of November 2009) gets you unlimited meat, trips to the salad bar and three gourmet sides: garlic mashed potatoes, polenta and fried banana.

Estância Churrascaria
4894 Highway 290 West
Austin, Texas 78735
(512) 892-1225

Fogo de Chão

Start with an excellent salad bar with fresh-cut vegetables, cheeses and cured meats. Then when you are ready, flip over a special card on the table and the chef will bring your skewered entree of gaucho-style sirloin, ribs, pork or chicken fresh from the fire. It might be a little pricey for some ($40 and more), but the nationwide locations receive rave reviews. Located in the heart of Austin's live music district, Fogo is next to the Convention Center and just three blocks north of the riverwalk.

Fogo de Chão
309 E. 3rd St.
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 472-0220

Sao Paulo's Restaurante

Sao Paulo's features live music Thursday through Saturday and sometimes Tuesday. A few Tex-Mex favorites compliment the robust Brazilian entree variety of seafood, beef and chicken dishes. The laid-back dining room with South American folk art decking the walls makes for a fun atmosphere, so don't worry about dressing up. Dinner entrees are in the $10 to $15 range, and the restaurant advertises vegetarian modifications to many appetizers and entrees. The Austin Chronicle recommends the native feijoada, a Brazilian chili. And the generous happy hour is 2-7 p.m. every day except Sunday.

Sao Paulo's Restaurante
2809 San Jacinto
Austin, Texas 78705-3815
(512) 473-9988

Sampaio's Brazilian Cuisine

Located north of town, Sampaio's might not look like much from the street, but inside is a warm, classy and cafe atmosphere. Nine blocks from the upper Shoal Creek greenbelt, you will find a menu of fresh, creative appetizers and beverages. Local restaurant critics gave it the Best Light Lunch award in 2007. A drink/appetizer half-price happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday might make this the diner destination after a hiking Shoal Creek.

Sampaio's Brazilian Cuisine
4800 Burnet Road
Austin, Texas 78756-2800
(512) 469-9988

Resources

Article Written By Jeffrey Mays

Jeffrey Mays lives in Austin, Texas, where he is a freelance writer. He has a B.S. in computer science from Baylor University and a master's in divinity from Covenant Seminary. He began writing for Demand Studios in 2009 and hopes to publish his first novel in 2010.

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